Arachnophobia Breaks Out at Charles County Jail

[Kain99]

It started last month in the DK cell block of the Charles County Detention Center. An inmate reported a nasty infection on his finger. A few weeks later, another inmate complained of a similar affliction on his face. Then another's arm was infected.

All of the wounds looked alike -- ugly, painful infections that have taken weeks to heal. Inmates have put the blame on an infestation of poisonous spiders, stirring an outbreak of arachnophobia and complaints at the jail.

"Everybody in here is talking about it," said Timothy Lawson, 28, an inmate who says he found a spider in the bathroom this week.

The complaints have spun a web of troubles for jail administrators, who say they are not at all sure spiders are responsible. The jail's deputy director, Walter "Buddy" Poynor, said jail doctors don't know what is causing the infections.

"There is no rash of spider bites," Poynor said. "I assure you, this is no horror movie."

Poynor said only three inmates have reported spider bites, but Lawson said at least six men have told him they were bitten. In any case, the jail is taking several decidedly anti-spider measures.

The rest of the itchy story..

 

[SmallTown]

Wow. They are prisoners and they have to live in such conditions? How awful. I say we volunteer to go down to the jail and do a nightly turn down service. We'll also leave chocolates and wine in their cell every night.

 

[Ken King]

What are they going to do, bring in frogs to sit beside the toads?

 

[tugboater]

I sould catch all the spider's here on my oil barge that I work on and take them to the jail so the inmates can have some pets to play with.You can't beleave how many spider's are on here.Some are small and then there some that big as hell.